10 steps to effective listening

Listening actively not only helps you to understand your team members, but it also enhances their feeling of being listened to. Active listening skills are of great importance in several other skills, such as negotiating and collaboration. Since this is a basis skill for other skills, these 10 steps to effective listening can be of great value. We have highlighted some interesting steps for you.

Make eye contact, but be relaxed
Eye contact is considered a basic ingredient of effective communication. Make sure you maintain eye contact, but do not stare fixedly at the other person.

Keep an open mind and do not interrupt
Listen without judging to other person, avoid saying things like “Well, that was a stupid move of you”. Do not jump to conclusions immediately. It can also be considered rude to interrupt and impose your own solutions. This sends a variety of messages, such as I am more important than you. So think twice if you want to interrupt your teammate.

In summary, make eye contact, be relaxed, keep an open mind and never interrupt the speaker. The article provides additional tips on asking questions, trying to feel what the speaker is feeling and giving feedback to the speaker.